Influenza Management Prospects of Passive Immunotherapy

Abstract

13 Influenza is a disease that poses a significant health burden worldwide. Vaccination is the best way to 14 prevent influenza virus infections. However, conventional vaccines are only effective for a short period 15 of time due to the propensity of influenza viruses to undergo antigenic drift and antigenic shift. The 16 efficacy of these vaccines is uncertain from year-to-year due to potential mismatching between the 17 circulating viruses and vaccine strains, mutations arising due to egg adaptation, and potential 18 contamination of the vaccine virus stock. Subsequently, the inability to store these vaccines long-term 19 and vaccine shortages are challenges that need to be overcome. Conventional vaccines are also less 20 effective for certain populations, including the young, old, and immunocompromised. This warrants for 21 diverse efficacious vaccine developmental approaches, involving both active and passive 22